Nestlé Philippines "I Choose Wellness" - STAY HEALTHY

By: Jocelyn Valle

A giant multinational food conglomerate exhorts everyone to keep fit.
Back in 1990, recalls Nestle Philippines, Inc. (NPI) Chairman and CEO John Martin Miller, he never saw any overweight person in Southeast Asia. At that time, the Englishman had just moved from the Middle East, where he worked for another company.

"Now, (obesity) is a growing problem," he laments, believing that it's been caused by the less healthy aspects of the Western diet that has crept into the eating habits of Asians. "This is why nutrition and wellness is very important to us (at Nestle). We want to help people to live a healthy lifestyle so people don't get obese and get diabetic.
The consumer-goods manufacturing giant has found an effective tool in accomplishing this goal in its annual campaign, I Choose Wellness Expo, which this year took place on July 3 and 4 at SM Megamall.

Celebrity Recipes plus Lifestyle attended the opening and experienced the overwhelmingly positive response of the public. For starters, long lines already formed outside the venue's entrance even before the event started at 10 a.m. And while inside, they eagerly checked out the booths that either rendered healthcare services like a free cholesterol check, hosted fun games or handed out samples of Nestle products. Never mind if they had to inch their way across the thick crowd to their next stop and stand in line each time they get there, achieving wellness was the rule of the day.

"So I think that's a big change that's taking place now," exclaims the NPI's head over lunch, after he cut the ceremonial ribbon and gave the opening remarks. "I think people have certainly become conscious of the need to lead healthy lifestyles."

In essence, it's just like going back to our gastronomic roots. Filipinos, Mr.Miller has observed, share the tradition of going to the wet market every morning to get the freshest produce with those from neighboring countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. It is also one activity that he enjoys doing with his wife, who's Malaysian of Cantonese lineage.
"Food is not only about nutrition; it's about the family, it's about the commonalities. People come together around the table. This is why food marketing is so basic," he states, adding that he's aware of the merienda culture in the country that has made easting five times a day the norm. "In England, we always talk about the weather. Here, people always say, 'Have you eaten yet?'"

It was small wonder then that the cooking demos were a huge hit at the expo. One of our columnists, Chef Tess Galang Sutilo, (she writes 'Hits') shared a couple of easy-to-prepare recipes like fresh fruits in cinnamon pandan sugar syrup and multi-layered dip.

Mr.Miller shares that Nestle products like Maggi Magic Sarap work in harmony with fresh produce that Filipinos are accustomed to find in the wet market. He also expresses amazement at how Milo, Nescafe and Nestea have become a big part of every Pinoy's day-to-day life since the global conglomerate entered the local market 99 years ago.

And Nestle makes its presence here even stronger by investing P4.3 billion over two years for a new factory to be built on a 27-hectare site in Tanauan, Batangas. It will not only serve its purpose of producing Coffee-mate non-dairy creamer and Bear Brand powdered milk drink but it will also create much-needed jobs. Now, that promises wellness for a lot of lives here.

Below is an exciting recipe from Chef Tess of the Julius Maggi Kichen.

FRESH FRUITS IN CINNAMON PANDAN SUGAR SYRUP

Ingredients:

1  cup water
2  pcs. pandan leaves tied in a knot
1/2  cup sugar
1/2 cup bottled cherries, drained, sliced into halves
1 pc. red apple, skin on & cube
1 pc. pear, skin pn & cube
1/2 cup green seedless grapes
1/2  cup red seedless grapes
1 (250mg) Nestle all purpose cream, chilled
 cashew nuts, coarsely crushed
 cinnamon powder

Procedure:

Make pandan syrup by boiling pandan leaves in water with sugar. Boil until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool. In a bowl,combine all fruits and toss into the pandan syrup. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Line individual containers with crushed cashew nuts. Scoop fruit mixture on top of fruits. Top with a dollop of cream and dust with cinnamon powder before serving.

SOURCE: Celebrity Recipes plus Lifestyle (September-October Issue)

Nestlé helps Filipinos lead healthier lives

Reprinted from Inquirer
By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: August 15, 2010

MANILA, Philippines--Nestle Philippines Inc., the local subsidiary of 144-year-old Swiss company Nestlé S.A., claims to be a top authority when it comes to health and nutrition, and its top-selling chocolate, milk, yogurt and cereal products help back up its assertion.

But having hefty sales and a dominant market share, however, do not automatically mean that its consumers are becoming healthier.

Hypertension, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease and osteoporosis pose a considerable burden to an increasing number of Filipinos.

Choose wellness

As it is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the Philippines, Nestlé believes it has a responsibility to help make Filipinos more conscious about their health, and this is manifested in part through its “Choose Wellness, Choose Nestlé” health and nutrition campaign.

Nestlé was guided by studies by the World Health Organization and the Department of Health.

These studies showed heart disease, hypertension and diabetes were among the leading causes of death among Filipinos, and that these chronic diseases could be prevented or managed through a shift to a more healthy lifestyle that includes proper diet and exercise.

To implement the program more effectively, Nestlé says it rolled out its campaign in stages, starting with employees and moving on to health authorities before going to the public.

Phased implementation

The campaign has since expanded to include schools, other companies and even hospitals.

Nestlé also sponsors and manages nutritionschool.ph, a website that provides visitors valuable information about good nutrition being the key to health and wellness.

Nestlé says that since its launch in 2008, the site has recorded more than one million hits and it continues to attract visitors seeking to learn more about nutrition.

Nestlé is also continuously deploying registered nutritionists to groceries, supermarkets and other public areas where consumers and the general
public may avail themselves of free advice on the kind of food and beverage they should take in to improve their health.

Wellness expo

One of its biggest events is the I Choose Wellness Expo, where doctors, nutritionists, nurses as well as the public come together in one place like SM Megamall to talk about health and nutrition.

According to Cora Sager, NPI corporate wellness head, the activity was designed as an enjoyable celebration for people from various walks of life. It enables participants to explore the different ways by which they can pursue wellness in their lives.

“We all have to realize that the quality of our wellness lies in our own hands. Only we can make the decisions and take the actions for ourselves that will determine the quality of our lives over the years,” Sager says
.
Nestlé has likewise conducted its wellness workshops in more than 200 business companies, schools and hospitals, participated by HR practitioners, teachers and medical staff who were inspired to develop and implement wellness programs in their own organizations.

Journey
Nestlé says four years since the launching of its Wellness Program, the company remains committed to urging Filipino families to choose health and wellness by adopting a lifestyle that focuses on proper nutrition, diet and physical activity.

According to NPI chair and CEO John Miller, a keen runner himself with eight full marathons under his belt, wellness is a journey that everybody should take, if they want to lead long and meaningful lives.

He believes that Nestlé has enough products to help Filipinos do just that.